Researchers have found that walking gait patterns in people with osteoarthritis of the knee, can be significantly improved by acupuncture, probably the researchers believe, due to pain relief.
Twenty patients with osteoarthritis in both knees, were randomly assigned to receive either one thirty minute electro-acupuncture session, or a sham treatment as a control. The average change in pain score in the true treatment group was twice that of the control group. Furthermore, the treatment group showed significant increases in walking speed and step length, aswell as several joint angle and movement measurements. No significant equivalents were observed in the sham group.
(Immediate Effects of Acupuncture on Gait Patterns in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis. Chin Med J (Engl) Jan 2010.)